Alookatthebuyingprocessmodel

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ArticleAbstract
Thisarticleexplainsamethodcalledthebuyingprocessapproach,which
helpspharmaceuticalfirmscloselyexaminehowpatientsmovethroughthe
healthcaresystem.Byidentifyingareaswhereproblemsoccurand

understandinghow
thoseproblems
affectpatientsuse
ofhealthcare
brands,marketers
candesignstrategiestoovercomeroadblocks.
ArticleID: 20090604
Published: June2009,page34
Author:
SharonS.Paik

Gowiththe(patient)flow
Editorsnote:SharonS.PaikisvicepresidentatIpsosMarketingHealthcarePractice,a
Norwalk,Conn.,researchfirm.

Anincreasinglydynamicandinteractivehealthcaremarketplacehas
necessitatedanequallydynamicevolutionofresearchtoolstohelptodays
brandssucceed.Inthepast,physicianswerethedominantinfluencerofa
brandssuccess.Patientswerehighlytrustingoftheircaregivers,therewere
fewerbarriersregulatingaphysiciansprescriptionsandpharmaceuticalbrands
wereaimedatlargepatientpopulations(i.e.,depression,hyperlipidemia,
hypertension,osteoporosis),treatedbyphysicianswhoweregeneralists.
Accordingly,pharmaceuticalcompaniesprimarilyfocusedmarketingactivities
towardphysiciansviaheavydetailingbysalesreps.BrandssuchasProzac,
LipitorandFosamaxbecameblockbustersinthe1980sand1990sthroughthis
relativelystraightforwardapproach.
Astheindustryevolvedandhealthcareshiftedfromaprimarilyphysician
focusedandproductcentricenvironment,changesoccurredinmarketthat
includedinvolvementofotherkeyinfluencers,particularlyamongpatients.The
consumerawarenessmovementandresourcesontheInternethaveencouraged
patientstomanagetheirhealthmoreproactively.Otherchangesalsooccurred:
managedcareorganizationsaremoreprevalentandinfluential,nurseshave
takenongreaterresponsibilitiesandtheranksofhealthcareplayershavebeen
expandedtoincludecaretakersandfamily.
Additionally,whileithasbecomeincreasinglymoredifficulttogetmetoo
productsapproved,newtechnologieshavereinvigorateddrugdiscoveryinless
commontherapeuticareas.Personalizedmedicinehasbecomeaviable
aspiration.Amidthisenvironment,progressivepharmaceuticalmarketersare
beginningtoassesstheirmarketingobjectivesusingamorecomprehensive

approach.Theyneedtogainagreaterunderstandingofthemarket,their
customersandtheircustomersmotivations.
Theseemergingtrendscreateaneedfornewresearchtoolstosupport
pharmaceuticalbranddecisionmaking.Onesuchtoolisthebuyingprocess
approach.Thoughitisreferredtobyothernames,suchaspatientflow
mapping,patientdynamics,marketmappingandmarketflowmodeling,itis
mostcommonlyknownasthebuyingprocess.Irrespectiveofitsname,we
stronglybelievetheanalyticprocessbehinditiscritical,asitprovidesinsights
tohelpmarketersprioritizetheirresourcesinacomplexhealthcaresystem.It
isalsoflexibleenoughtoidentifyhowtoreprioritizeinthefaceofnewmarket
developments.

Fullrangeoffactors
Withfewerproductlaunches,itismoreimportantthanevertomaximizebrand
potentialwithtargetedmarketingstrategies.Inanincreasinglydynamicexternal
environment,marketersmustadapttheirbrandstrategytothefullrangeof
factorsthatcaninfluencethesuccessoftheirbrand.Thesefactorsmaybegin
withtraditionalnotionsofbrandfeaturesandbenefitsbutneedtogofurtherand
includecharacteristicsofphysicians,patientsandthefullrangeofthe
environmentinwhichtheyinteracttoachieveeffectivehealthcare.
AsshowninFigure1,the360customerexperienceisanapproachto
researchthataddressesthechangesinthehealthcaremarket.Ithelps
marketersunderstandthemultiplecustomertypeswhoimpactthesuccessofa
brandandtheirbalanceofinfluence.Manyoftheresearchtechniquesare
interrelatedwiththebuyingprocess,sincebothhaveacommongoal:toprovide
acomprehensiveunderstandingofthecustomerexperience.

Thebuyingprocessisakeycomponenttothe360customerexperience.The
modelisdesignedtouncoverkeydecisionpointsinagivenmarket,aswellas
thecriticalactionsandperceptionsthatdrivebehaviorateachpoint.Inthis
way,onecanunderstandhowpatientscometouseabrand.
Thecentralplayerinthebuyingprocessisthepatient.Atthesimplestlevel,the
buyingprocessaimstooutlinetheseriesofeventsthatapatientgoesthrough
astheymovethroughthehealthcaresystem.Themodelaimstoprovidea
blueprintoftheprocessforanybrandtomapitsopportunitiesbyfollowingthe
patient,rememberingthatpatientsseldomthinkintermsofproductsorservices
butratherintermsoftheirpersonalneeds.

Whytheydoit
Throughtheapplicationofprimaryresearchmethods,wecanexplorewhat
patientsdo,whytheydoitandhowwecanpredisposethemtotheappropriate

useofaproduct.Thebuyingprocessissystematicandstructuredinthatit
exploresthecascadeofeventsthatapatientexperiencesastheycopewiththeir
diseasefromthefirsttimetheyrecognizetheirsymptomstotheirevaluation,
diagnosisand,ultimately,fulfillmentandcomplianceofthetreatmenttheyare
offered.
Thecommonsteps(leveragepoints)throughthebuyingprocessare:
Perception:Willapersonperceiveaproblemexists?
Origination:Wheredotheybegintosolvetheirproblem?
Evaluation:Whodotheytalktoabouttheirproblem?
Diagnosis:Howistheproductidentifiedandconfirmed?
Treatment:Whattreatmentsareavailable?
Delivery:Dopatientsfilltheirprescription?
Compliance:Willthepatientcomplywiththeirtreatment?
Followup:Isthetreatmentsuccessfulordoestheproblemstillexist?
Whenpatientsmakeabuyingdecisionthatis,totakeatherapythatdecision
representstheculminationofaprocess.Itmaytakeplacealmost
instantaneouslyorstretchoutoveralongperiodoftime,butitisaprocess,not
anevent.Timeisaveryimportantelementhere,giventhatitsneveruniform,
andeachpatientgoesthroughthesystemwithintheirowntimeframe.This
providesanopportunitytounderstandhowlongittakesapatienttogothrough
thevariouspointsintheprocess,includingwhereespeciallylengthyperiodsof
timeelapse,sothatwecanhelpthepatientmovethroughthesystem
efficiently.
Nomatterhowlongtheprocesstakes,thebuyingdecisionalwaysbeginswhen
apatientbecomesawareofaneed.Oncetheyhaveidentifiedthatneed,they
begintosearchforandexplorepossibleavenuesformeetingthatneed.While
gatheringinformation,theyrefineandevaluateallofthebuyingcriteriathatwill
affectthedecisiontopurchaseandnarrowthefieldofchoicestothebestfew
alternatives.

Mappedoutindetail
Thediscernablestepsandsequencesthatthepatienttakesthroughtheprocess
canbemappedoutindetailusingthecommonleveragepointsastheprimary
anchors.Patientflowmappingprovidesmarketerswithagraphicalflowchartof
allkeystagesthroughouttheprocess,quantifyingthenumberofpatientswho
takeaspecificactionorstepateachstagefromtheperspectiveofthevarious
stakeholders,includingpatients.Theflowchartsallowmarketerstoidentifythe
mostcommonpathtakenbypatientsanddeterminewhereandhowthispath
canbechangedtofacilitategreaterbranduse.
Eachpatientisconsideredtobeuniqueandhastheirownpaththroughthe
healthcaresystem.Forthatreason,patientsprovidetheirindividual
experiences,whilephysiciansprovideinformationforspecificpatientsorpatient
types.Whilepatientexperiencesarethebasisforanalysis,thesekindsof
experiencesneedtobeevaluatednotonlyfromapatientperspectivebutalso
fromtheperspectiveofotherkeyplayersinthemarket,includingphysicians.
Obtainingboththeprescriberandpatientstandpointallowsforpinpointing
differencesincustomerperceptions.Frequently,identifyingwhichissues
patientsandphysiciansseedifferentlyprovidessignificantinsightinto
appropriateallocationofmarketingdollarstomaximizereturnsforthebrand.
Moreover,theseperceptionsarenotlimitedtophysiciansandpatientsbutcan
alsoincludepharmacists,payors,nursingprofessionals,caretakers,etc.
Letsconsiderahypotheticalpatient,Tom,atypical,middleagedmale,whohas
astressfuljob:amarketresearcheronthevendorside.HowdoesTomprogress
throughthehealthcaresystem?
Despiteeighthoursofsleepeverynight,Tomisalwaystiredandhasbeen
complainingaboutitincessantlytoeveryone.Hissymptomshavestartedto
makeanimpactonthislife,andlikemostmen,hedoesntgotohisdoctoruntil
pushedornagged.
Afterhiswifemakestheappointmenttoseehisprimarycarephysician(PCP),
Tomfinallygoesfortheannualphysical,thefirsttimeinfiveyears.HisPCP
determinesthatallsystemsarefinewithTom,withtheexceptionofgeneral
fatigue.
Therefore,thePCPrecommendsbehavioralandlifestylemodifications,suchas
gettingtobedataregulartime,reducingjobrelatedstress,andtoreturnfora
checkupinsixmonths.

Aboutayearandahalflater,Tomfallsasleepatthewheelandalmostgetsinto
acaraccident.Again,hiswifepusheshimtoseehisdoctor.So,Tomreturnsto
hisPCP,andheisevenmoretiredandrundown,despitechangingtoajobthat
hesaysislessstressful:amarketresearcherontheclientside.
WhatsnextforTom,nowthathisPCPcouldnothelphimwithhissymptoms?
TomsPCPrefershimtoseeaspecialist.IttakeshisPCPofficeoveraweekto
completehisreferralpaperwork.Oncehereceivesthereferral,Tomcallsthe
specialistsofficetomakeanappointmentforamonthlater.Tompostponeshis
appointmenttwice.Hefinallyseesthespecialistninemonthsafterthereferral.
ThespecialistdiagnosedTomandtoldhimtoscheduleafollowupappointment
todiscusstreatmentoptions.(Thespecialistisidentifiedasakeyinfluencerin
thebuyingprocesssystem.)Tomagrees,butittakeshimthreeweekstocallfor
thefollowup.
Tompostponeshisappointmentonceandeventuallyseeshisspecialist12
weeksafterthefirstconsultation.(Furtherdelaysintheprocess.)Thespecialist
provideshimwithtwoprescriptions,foureducationalbookletsandinformation
aboutpatientsupportgroups.
Thespecialistthinkshedidathoroughjobexplainingthetreatmentoptions.
However,Tomisoverwhelmedandfearsetsinafterhewalksoutoftheoffice.
Heisconcernedaboutthesideeffectsofthemedicationandhowtheywillaffect
him.
Tomneedstimetodigestallofthisandthinkitthrough.Tomisfrustratedwith
thespecialiststreatmentrecommendationsandhetakestheinitiativetolook
foralternativesandpossiblygetasecondopinion.
Intheend,Tomdoesntcontinueoninthehealthcaresystem.Hefallsoutat
thetreatmentanddeliverypointsintheprocess.
Thebuyingprocesswasabletoidentifythepointsofopportunitytointervene,
includingmomentsinthetimelinethatcanbeshortenedinordertohelpTom
continuethroughthesystem.Also,youcouldhavethespecialistbeakey
influencerintheprocessbyprovidingeducationtoencouragedesiredbehaviors
frombothhimandTom.

Provideanunderstanding

Thebuyingprocesscanbeusedforbothnewandinlineproducts.Fornew
products,themodelcanprovideanunderstandingofanewcategory,including
insightsintoareasthatmaynothaveyetbeencoveredextensively.This
approachshouldbeexecutedtwotothreeyearsprelaunchinordertohave
adequatetimetoinitiateanynecessarystrategicinitiativespriortolaunchand
toaidinthedevelopmentoftargetedmarketing.Conversely,forinline
products,thebuyingprocesscanhelpassessfundamentalchangesinthe
market(suchasnewcompetition,generic/therapeuticsubstitutionand/orpolicy
changes)andprovideanintegratedperspectiveonthehealthcaremarket.Once
aproductisintroducedintothemarket,thetoolcanbeusedtotrackabrands
performancepostlaunch.Thebuyingprocesscanalsomeasuretheimpactof
majormarketeventsthatcanimproveabrandssuccess(seeFigure2).

Agraphicalrepresentationthathighlightsthemarketleakagesatvariouspoints
(Figure3)canprovideavisualsnapshotfortheareasofpriorityand
opportunity.InFigure3,theentirewidthofthehorizontalhistogramrepresents
thetotaltheoreticalmarketpotential.Wecanseeanumericalsnapshotthat

depictsthecumulativeandactualmarketleakagewhere,ateachstep,welose
someportionofthemarketspotentialpatientpopulationandwhatpotential
remains.Thusinthishypotheticaldiseaseprocess,thereisonlyarealized
marketpotentialof8percentthatactuallyfollowthroughtotheendofthe
buyingprocessandarebeingsuccessfullytreated.

Examinationoftheseleakagepointsshowtargetedprioritizationofneedsand
opportunities.Todeterminewhichmarketingeffortsshouldbepursued,we
considerthelargestareasofmarketloss,thefeasibilityofimpactingchangeand
thecostofinitiativesateachlevel.Subsequently,wecandeterminewhere
marketingeffortsshouldbefocusedtoincreasetheoptimalrealizedmarket
valueandthesubsequentnumberofprescriptions.Oncetheprioritiesinthe
healthcaresystemhavebeenidentified(leveragepoints),itiscriticalto
influencedesiredbehaviorsamongtargetedcustomersatthesepointsto
achievethemaximumbusinessopportunity.Behaviorsneedtobereinforcedor
changedatthesepointsinordertomovethepatientthroughthesystem.Each
strategicactionmustbetailoredtotherelevantcustomersandtothespecific

behaviorsthataddressthekeybusinessopportunity.

Regularlymonitored
Behaviorsandpreferencesareconstantlychanging,andthishasbeenboth
complicatedandacceleratedinrecentyearsbythevastincreaseinproduct
choicesandnewproductentrants.Therefore,themarketmustberegularly
monitoredforthesechanges.Theblueprintofthehealthcaremarketwillshift
ascustomersareofferednewbenefitsthatenhancetheirexperiences.Ifyou
havedevelopedasoundmodel,itwillconstantlyfeedintothebrand
developmentprocess,helpingtoidentify,understandandreacttoanyshiftsthat
occur.Drasticchangescanbeimplementedforeveryshift,butonlyforthose
thatwillprovidethebestbusinessopportunities.Understandingwhichonesare
worththeinvestmentandtimewillbeessentialtomaximizingmarketingdollars.
Furthermore,theanalysisofthebuyingprocesshelpsboostbrandpotentialina
volatilemarketbyunderstandingpatientactionswithinthemarketplace.Ina
marketwherebrandgrowthisslowing,thepatientbecomesakeyplayer.By
increasingthedepthofunderstandingofpatientsandtheirexperienceswithin
thehealthcaresystem,pharmaceuticalmarketerscandemonstratethedistinct
valueoftheirbrandtoconsumers.Throughtargetedmarketing,relationships
canbebuiltwithpatients,enhancingtheirlifetimevalue.
Thesystematicanalysisofthebuyingprocesscanhelpdeterminehowto
interactwithpatientsinawaythatwillincreasecompliance,persistence,and
brandloyalty.Itcanhelpincreasethetotalnumberofprescriptionsby
identifyingandquantifyingthesizeandfeasibilityoftargetingnichepopulations.
Theidentificationofnicheswithunmetneedsinthemarketservestomaximize
thetotalnumberofpatientswhocanbenefitfromuseofthebrand.Moreover,
marketobstaclescanbeidentifiedandovercome,helpingprovokechangein
consumeractionsandincreasingfulfillmentrates.

Notbeenough
Forabrandtobesuccessful,itisgenerallyagreedthatitmustpossessa
significantcompetitiveadvantage,suchasanimprovementintreatment
outcomes,acostbenefitorimprovementincompliance.Butthepresenceof
suchadvantagesmaynotbeenough.Marketersneedtofullyunderstandthe
rangeofinternalandexternalmarketenvironmentsthatmayimpactthe
customertodayandinthefuture.Thebuyingprocessidentifiescurrentactions
andhelpstofacilitatepositivecustomeractions,therebylinkingallthekey

playerstoamutuallybeneficialgoal:satisfyingthepatientsneeds.

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